A Surprise Drum Set
After finishing his compulsory military service on a Saturday morning, Namhun immediately headed to the Seoul Meeting Square Service Area on the Gyeongbu Expressway.
As the very first rest stop on the way to Busan, it had been a place he visited countless times back when he was active as a singer.
The moment he parked, Yoo Sera appeared together with a woman in street-punk fashion, the kind you’d spot in Hongdae.
White cropped shirt, black mini skirt, and a black beret completed the look. On a weekend highway rest area, it stood out sharply.
“Hey, Jang Namhun. You’re here?”
“What brings you here?”
“Nothing special. I heard the story from Wonhyeong Oppa and came to watch. More fans cheering is better, right?”
She pointed her elbow at the woman standing beside her.
“You already met, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Hello, Oppa.”
The woman smiled warmly and greeted him, making Namhun respond awkwardly.
“Ah… yes…”
He quickly scanned her up and down.
To anyone ordinary, she would look unrecognizable after such intense styling, yet Namhun instantly identified her.
“Ju Seojin? Seojin?”
Yoo Sera burst out laughing at his words.
“Told you he’d recognize you, right?”
“Yes. That’s right. We talked on the phone the day before yesterday.”
The woman Yoo Sera had brought was Park Sukja’s eldest daughter, Ju Seojin.
“You returned to Korea?”
“Yes. Mom was in real trouble, so of course I had to come back.”
Ju Seojin’s face darkened as she recalled Park Sukja’s situation.
“I was already worried about you being alone… I was really surprised. For the time being, I’ll stay in Korea and take care of her. Thank you once again. You saved my mom.”
“No need. It was only natural.”
At that moment, someone tapped his shoulder.
He turned around and saw Wonhyeong.
“You’re earlier than I thought.”
“The road wasn’t as congested as I expected.”
“Yeah. You must be hungry.”
He had originally planned to eat at the dining hall after the service, but the promise forced him to leave right away.
“But… who is she?”
Wonhyeong’s eyes gestured toward Ju Seojin, and Namhun introduced her.
“She’s the daughter of our villa landlord.”
“…What?”
“She was also my roommate during Sera’s study abroad.”
Even Wonhyeong’s eyes widened at the revelation.
“Whoa, what a surprising connection.”
“Isn’t it? Hello, my name is Ju Seojin.”
“Ah, yes. Yes. You’re really beautiful.”
As Wonhyeong took the hand Ju Seojin offered and his face flushed, Yoo Sera teased with a chuckle.
“Seojin, this Oppa is a gold digger, so be careful.”
“What’s a gold digger?”
“Someone who falls in love too quickly.”
“Ah…”
Ju Seojin pulled her hand back awkwardly, and Wonhyeong waved his hands frantically.
“No, no! Stop spreading those rumors!”
“I was just stating facts.”
“Hey! You think I don’t know!”
Watching the two bicker, Namhun spoke up.
“I’ll change my clothes for a bit. Traveling in a suit isn’t my style.”
From the Ekus, Namhun emerged after changing, and Wonhyeong suggested,
“Hmm… wanna rent a Carnival?”
“Why the sudden car talk? You don’t really need one yourself. You come to the studio all the time.”
“Once I debut, I’ll need a car anyway. I can’t keep driving an Ekus. It’s bad on fuel, and who knows when it’ll break.”
“I’m not the one buying it, dumbass. I’m telling you to swap my car.”
“No. We’re basically sharing one car now. You said you’d start practicing real stuff soon. Dance trot is already familiar.”
“Hmm… that makes sense.”
Despite all the busyness, Namhun kept practicing diligently.
As a result, his dance trot tracks were consistently scoring over 90 points.
“The songs I’ve practiced aren’t meaningless. They’re all songs that work well in performances.”
“Ah, I see?”
“Yeah. So renting a car in advance isn’t a bad idea either. It’ll help with the accounting too.”
For entertainers, a car was like another home.
You eat, change clothes, do makeup, and sleep in it.
“Once we get the car, you’ll drive it normally. I have to go back and forth to the studio.”
“Is that okay?”
“I barely use it anyway.”
“Hmm… still okay?”
“It’s not free, idiot. I’m renting it with the money I earn from performing.”
“That makes sense.”
“Then come here. We need to prepare.”
“Prepare?”
“For busking.”
Following Wonhyeong to his car, Namhun saw it loaded with something.
“What’s all this?”
Inside the car were keyboards, microphones, and stands.
“…I get why you were talking about renting a Carnival now.”
“It’s a bonus, basically.”
* * *
Wonhyeong explained the behind-the-scenes story.
Kang Seongdae, who had been looking for a busking company for his trot performance, had offered to handle it himself.
“It’s better to help out and enjoy the food rather than just watch. After all, we’re students of the composer Master Kang.”
“Yeah, participating is good.”
Feeling guilty for bringing Yoo Sera and Ju Seojin along, who were already carrying heavy loads as if they were mere spectators.
“You don’t have to help. You’re precious assets.”
“What else would I do if I’m just watching? I should at least do something.”
“Right.”
“…Yeah. Do as you please.”
While carrying the loads, old memories resurfaced.
“Wonhyeong, that’s why I remember the b-boy days. When we performed, we prepared the stage ourselves.”
Getting permission, setting up speakers, and sound mixing.
Everything had to be handled from scratch back then.
Busking as a concept didn’t exist.
“That’s right. Then let’s revive those memories. Seojin, stand behind and dance too?”
“…No thanks.”
“I’m joking, but you should definitely stand behind.”
Namhun glanced at the keyboard he was carrying.
“You don’t mean…”
“You’re quick on the uptake. Okay, you handle the keyboard. I need to play the drums.”
“Suddenly?”
“‘Saljjakhung!’ is familiar, right? And the other three tracks are songs you practiced.”
Asking a perfect pitch singer like Namhun to play accompaniment wasn’t difficult.
“Of course I brought the sheet music, but I’ll give it to you later.”
He had come to watch, yet he was suddenly asked to play accompaniment.
“This is a surprise too?”
“Not really a surprise. We didn’t have time to explain. Since we don’t have practice time anyway, it’s better not to reveal it at all and keep my mind at ease.”
Knowing Namhun’s personality, Wonhyeong was certain he would have practiced as much as possible even during sleep time.
“…You really planned to put us to work, huh?”
“Whether it’s you or me, it’s cheap labor, but if I impress Master Kang, it’ll pay off more. Stop complaining.”
Remembering how expensive the last beef barbecue had been, Namhun stayed silent.
“So, when is Master Kang and Seojin coming? Time’s getting tight.”
“Yeah. We start at 1:30, so they’ll be here soon. While we wait, let’s check out Hey-shop.”
“Before that, let’s eat something.”
Everyone knew what “so-ddeuk so-ddeuk” meant.
“…I was shocked that someone who worked in Hollywood would be crazy about so-ddeuk so-ddeuk. It’s like I’ve gained a new perspective. The trend is so old.”
“I guess the other side is late to the trend. Besides, I already sensed something was off after hearing you two lived together for two years.”
“What?”
“That you’re not entirely normal.”
At that, Wonhyeong laughed.
“In a way, that’s a compliment. To people like us.”
Upon reflection, Wonhyeong’s words were accurate.
The entertainment industry was a place where odd people thrived.
* * *
Hey-shop was a store that had modernized a roadside stall that once operated near highway rest areas.
As they approached, lively trot medleys began playing.
“This place never changes, whether in the past or now.”
The songs from ten years ago were still playing, which was surprising.
It felt as if time had stopped at this spot alone in the rest area.
“Trot really has long-lasting vitality.”
“If one song becomes popular, the saying that it’s a gold mine isn’t empty. Back then, there hadn’t been any notable new songs in the last ten years.”
A niche market had emerged, and many old agencies had been eyeing it.
“But if you look closely, there are other differences.”
“Yeah. Come to think of it, they’re all USBs, not cassette tapes?”
“There are CDs too, but now it’s mostly USBs.”
“Why?”
“Most buyers are elderly. Nowadays cars don’t even come with CD players.”
“Ah… so you buy it as a USB and plug it straight in?”
“Yes. It’s simpler for the elderly.”
“Fascinating.”
“You can even buy this online. It’s mass-produced like this.”
“Mostly medleys and compilation albums.”
“That’s right. That’s what sells best. It feels full.”
Looking around, only solo albums by famous senior singers were visible.
“But why isn’t anyone selling? There’s no one here.”
“Hey-shop does better on weekdays than weekends, unlike restaurants. The main customers are drivers.”
“Ah…”
It was very different from idol albums sold at large shopping centers or bookstores.
“Starting next week, they’ll promote at the market. It sells well there too.”
“At the market?”
“Yeah. It’s not busking like here. It’s a small event organized by the merchants’ union. It’s like bait to attract customers.”
That made sense.
‘It’s an event and album promotion all at once.’
“As you see, medleys are the trend for albums. There’s no structure where fans immerse themselves in a singer like K-pop fandoms, so gathering hit songs works better.”
“Did Seojin release a medley album too?”
“No. Master Kang isn’t stingy with money. He released his own album right away. Medleys are more for survival. Oh, there’s also Bang-gun’s album.”
As Wonhyeong said, Bang-gun’s album was there too.
A photo of him smiling brightly in flashy clothes looked surprisingly natural.
In reality, Bang-gun smiled a lot, was straightforward, and had great networking.
That’s why clubs sought him out.
‘Hmm. What about Sunseong’s?’
“Looking for something?”
“Ah, Sunseong… I was wondering if he has his album.”
“Sunseong is here.”
Not in the medley section, but in a separate category called ‘Sunseong Medley.’
‘As expected, the four medley kings.’
Looking at Sunseong’s album placed prominently at the main sales counter, Namhun felt a flood of thoughts.
Getting to the main display wasn’t easy.
Yet Sunseong had given up singing for money.
Although skill and money aren’t always proportional, hearing Sunseong’s songs up close made Namhun think otherwise.
“Medley singers don’t make much money?”
“Well… it depends on how many performances. For singers, concerts are the biggest income source. Very few trot singers fill arenas, so they rely on performances instead. It’s hard to make money from albums or downloads. Medley albums are often sold at a flat rate.”
“I see. It’s not easy.”
While exploring Hey-shop, the reality of the trot industry pressed on Namhun’s skin.
Watching him lost in thought, Wonhyeong thought to himself.
‘Maybe you’ll turn this situation around.’
Though no one would call it a grand dream, Wonhyeong had seriously set it as his goal.
While wandering the modest-sized Hey-shop, someone lightly touched Namhun’s shoulder.
Turning, he saw Jin Seryeon.
She looked at him up and down with a disappointed expression.
“Oppa. You weren’t supposed to come from the service, right? I heard that.”
“Yeah? Right. We arrived here about an hour after the service ended.”
“Ah… you changed clothes. I wanted to see you in a suit, but that’s a shame.”
“I’ve seen you in suits plenty of times before.”
“When was that exactly?”
“It was a while ago. Elementary school time.”
“You always went out in formal clothes when entering competitions.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re the one who should know what it means.”
Jin Seryeon pouted while glancing at Namhun, and Wonhyeong grimaced.
Namhun didn’t notice, but as soon as Jin Seryeon spoke to him, the surrounding women’s gazes had shifted toward them.
‘Even now, this draws attention. It must be something else when he becomes famous.’